Poplar Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Tower Hamlets
Poplar Cafe holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 26 November 2024, 19 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.
Address: 251-253 Poplar High Street, London, E14 0BE
How it compares in Tower Hamlets
In Tower Hamlets, 72% of rated places manage a 5, so Poplar Cafe sits behind roughly 2,059 nearby businesses. 16% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 2,059 | 72% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 460 | 16% | ← Poplar Cafe | |
| 3 out of 5 | 175 | 6% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 86 | 3% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 62 | 2% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 4 | <1% |
A further 311 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Very good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
- How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory
An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Poplar Cafe none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Poplar Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Quadrifoglio Ristorante - Pizzeria Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 332 yards away | 5 - Very good | 9 July 2025 |
| A H Cox (Billingsgate) Ltd Distributors/Transporters | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 October 2024 |
| A A Lyons Distributors/Transporters | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 21 February 2024 |
| Afikala Afrikana Distributors/Transporters | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 July 2024 |
| Almari Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 11 June 2024 |
| AA Psychiatry Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 30 May 2025 |
| 640 East Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 4 June 2026 |
| Acai Berry Canary Wharf Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 September 2025 |
Questions about Poplar Cafe
What is Poplar Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Poplar Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Tower Hamlets Council on 26 November 2024.
Is Poplar Cafe safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was Poplar Cafe last inspected?
Poplar Cafe was last inspected on 26 November 2024, 19 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Tower Hamlets Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Poplar Cafe?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Poplar Cafe compare to other places in Tower Hamlets?
72% of the 2,846 rated food businesses in Tower Hamlets hold the top rating of 5, while Poplar Cafe holds a 4. 460 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Tower Hamlets Council inspects Poplar Cafe and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.
Tell me when this changes
The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Poplar Cafe and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Tower Hamlets inspects and rates 3,157 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Tower Hamlets →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →